The district spans much of southeastern Indiana along the Ohio River. As the Cincinnati suburbs grow, the district is trending increasingly Republican, though Democrat-heavy Bloomington, home to Indiana University, serves as a counterbalance. Hill's narrow win in 2002 against Sodrel was evidence of the district's waning Democratic dominance; Hill received only 51 percent of the vote that year. And when Sodrel won in 2004, it was a squeaker: 49.5 percent to 49 percent.